Somalia · Jurisdiction Guide

Somalia company search: Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Somalia's Ministry of Commerce and Industry is at moci.gov.so, which carries no company-search form; the older commerce.gov.so no longer resolves.

Somalia company registry guide cover

Workflow checklist

  1. Identify the registry. moci.gov.so
  2. Check access requirements. Account required: No. Local ID required: No.
  3. Plan budget. Price range: USD 0.00. Payment methods: Not published; confirm at source.
  4. Anticipate friction. Captcha / 2FA: Unknown. English UI: No.
  5. Plan turnaround. Expected: Unknown.
  6. Verify recency. Last verified: 4 Sept 2026. Confirm current pricing at the official registry before submitting.

Download workflow checklist (Markdown)

TL;DR. Somalia’s federal registry is nominally the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The older address https://commerce.gov.so no longer resolves, and neither does its www form. The ministry site https://moci.gov.so is reachable, titled Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya - Wasaaradda Ganacsiga iyo Warshadaha, and carries no company-search form; the frontmatter points at it as the live ministry address, following the convention for a dead published host. This guide does not name a working federal, Somaliland or Puntland company search. No fee figures can be confirmed, so costs read as unknown rather than free.

What is the official Somalia business registry?

Somalia’s federal company registry is nominally administered by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS). The published address https://commerce.gov.so no longer resolves, so there is no online search path behind it.

Governance is fragmented:

  • Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in Mogadishu is the internationally recognized government.
  • Somaliland in Hargeisa operates a separate commercial registration practice. Somaliland-issued certificates are not internationally recognized legal persons in the same way as FGS entities.
  • Puntland in Garowe has local administrative structures.

No online company search could be confirmed for any of these administrations, so search fields, interface language and pricing are all unknown; confirm at source.

Nothing online. commerce.gov.so no longer resolves, and in-person retrieval in Mogadishu, Hargeisa or Garowe could not be confirmed. Field lists reported elsewhere (name, registration number, legal form, partners) are not confirmed here; confirm at source.

How much does it cost?

Not published. The US dollar ranges quoted in earlier versions of this page did not come from an official fee page, so costs read as unknown rather than free; confirm at source.

Do you need a local account or ID?

There is no online access route. A local representative in Mogadishu, Hargeisa or Garowe is the historic path, and there is no portal login to describe.

Is the website in English?

commerce.gov.so does not resolve. The ministry site moci.gov.so is titled in Somali.

What’s the turnaround time?

Unknown. The published address no longer resolves.

Is there an API?

No. No digital registry interface could be reached.

What you legally cannot do

OFAC Somalia sanctions. The US Treasury OFAC maintains the Somalia Sanctions Program (31 CFR Part 551), targeting individuals and entities associated with al-Shabaab and designated Somali actors. The OFAC SDN search is the published list for USD and US-nexus transactions. EU and UN designations related to Somalia also apply to designated parties.

No Somali registry page publishes FATF listing status. Check fatf-gafi.org at the time of use.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

  • Somalia-linked counterparties are high-complexity: the registry record available elsewhere is not available here.
  • Somaliland documentation is separate from FGS registration, and the two are not interchangeable.
  • Specialist advisers with current Somalia operational experience remain the realistic route while the published registry address does not resolve.

Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly

Local data suppliers

No major international credit bureau could be confirmed as a Somalia substitute. Specialist advisory engagement is the route this page records.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Somalia registry directly?

Not at commerce.gov.so, which no longer resolves. moci.gov.so is a working ministry site, but it carries no search form; confirm at source.

Is Somaliland a separate jurisdiction for compliance purposes?

Somaliland is not internationally recognized as a sovereign state. Its commercial documents may be authentic inside Somaliland and still carry no internationally recognized legal status. No Hargeisa search portal could be found.

Does Somalia have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

No public beneficial-ownership register could be confirmed; confirm at source.

Is Somalia on the FATF grey list?

Not published on any Somali registry page. Verify at fatf-gafi.org.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: commerce.gov.so, which no longer resolves; moci.gov.so, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry site, which carries no company-search form; and the OFAC Somalia Sanctions Program (ofac.treas.gov). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

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